WMS Weekly Newsletter

Dear Wayland Middle School Caregivers,

I am absolutely thrilled to share with you that I will return from my leave on Wednesday, March 5th! I have missed the staff, students, and all of you so very much and am looking forward to catching up and reengaging in the exciting and inspiring work of our school community.

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the leadership team, Bella Wong (Interim Principal), Courtney Cramer (Assistant Principal), and Rebecca Speicher (Administrator for Student Services), for their exceptional work and guidance during my absence. I am grateful to our entire staff who supported our students, the leadership team and our school's work; their commitment and dedication to our community and our students are palpable. And finally, special thanks to our amazing administrative assistant team, Holly Niño, Courtney Durand, and Sarah Plisinski, who kept the main office functioning with patience and professionalism. It is an honor to be the Wayland Middle School principal!

One bright side from the past month is the important work done in TAG, our weekly advisory. In TAG, our teachers provided students with an opportunity to engage in a reflective process that honored student voice, deepened student understanding, promoted self awareness, and fostered motivation and engagement. Specifically, our students reflected on critical student skills and also identified and reflected on what we are calling a “memorable piece of work”. Following a collaborative lesson focused on building student understanding of skills in the areas of time management, organization, and communication, students completed an individual reflection related to each of these areas. Students also chose a “memorable piece of work” and explained what made the creation of this piece of work/performance so significant to them. These meaningful student reflections will be the foundation for spring conferences this year (please see Caregiver Conferences below for more details).

The WMS staff and I are thankful for your unwavering support of our students and of our school community. On a more personal note, I am deeply grateful to you for your kindness and care during my leave of absence. I hope to see in the upcoming weeks whether it be at caregiver conferences or at one of the many performing arts opportunities that will take place in the month of March. As always, my door is open. Whether you have questions, concerns, or simply want to share in the excitement of the school year, I encourage you to reach out.

Deborah

• Monday, March 3: Information session for 7th and 8th grade Volleyball team
  3:30-4:00 PM WMS Room 103

• Tuesday, March 4: Wayland Sings Choral Concert 7:00 PM at Wayland High School Theatre

• Thursday, March 6: WMS Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

• Monday, March 10 - Friday, March 14: World Language Week

• Tuesday, March 11: String Jam Concert 7:00 PM Wayland High School Field House

• Wednesday, March 12: Band Fest Concert 7:00 PM Wayland High School Field House

• Thursday, March 13: 8th Grade Caregivers' Night 7:00 PM-8:15 PM
  Wayland High School Theatre

• Friday, March 14: WMS Spring Sports Registration ends.

• Wednesday, March 19: Caregiver Conferences (details below)

• Wednesday, March 26: Caregiver Conferences

• Tuesday, April 8: ELA MCAS Grades 6-8

• Thursday, April 10: ELA MCAS Grades 6-8

• Friday, April 18: Good Friday - NO SCHOOL

• Monday, April 21 - Friday, April 25: Spring Break - NO SCHOOL

Wayland High School Principal Allyson Mizoguchi is inviting Caregivers of the 8th grade class to an evening at the High School. The plan is to give Caregivers, "...a holistic picture of the high school, as well as an opportunity to ask specific questions about our curriculum, supports, expectations, and student activities."

The 8th Grade Caregivers' Night Memo 2025 has all the information regarding the evening and additional information about what will be covered as well a a tour of the high school. Please open and read the memo for complete information.

Every year in the month of March, Wayland Middle School celebrates World Language Week, a week dedicated to exposing students to the linguistic and cultural diversity of our community and the world. Each day of World Language Week will be dedicated as follows:

Monday, March 10: French Day

Tuesday, March 11: Latin Day

Wednesday, March 12: Chinese Day

Thursday, March 13: Spanish Day

Friday, March 14: “Where you’re from, where you’ve been, and where you’d like to go” Day.

We thank all of our world language teachers for their hard work, creativity, and leadership in this celebratory and educational experience for our staff and students. Stay tuned for more information related to the myriad of activities that will take place during World Language Week!

The purpose of spring conferences this year is to discuss student skills across content areas and to celebrate student learning. Conferences will be driven by a reflection completed by each student related to specific student skills as well as the sharing of a “memorable piece of work”.

Student skills are critical to the development of successful and increasingly independent learners and as such, students benefit when educators and caregivers discuss students’ strengths and areas for growth in these skill areas. Student choice and reflection on a “memorable piece of work” creates a window into what motivates a student and what makes a student feel successful at school in an authentic way. It is important to note that “work” is broadly defined as a performance (in PE, drama, chorus, band, or orchestra) or a piece of work (an artistic creation, an assessment, a piece of writing, a project, etc) in order to honor all learning at school.

Conferences for parents and caregivers will occur after school on March 19th and March 26th with conference time slots beginning at 2:30 and ending at 5:00 on both days.

On March 13th, caregivers will receive a link to their student’s homeroom appointment calendar to sign up for one, ten-minute conference with their student’s homeroom partners on either March 19th or March 26th. Parents and caregivers will also have the option to have the conference in-person or virtually. All appointments and any changes must be done before 12pm on March 18th.

🌷 Spring is upon us. That means it's time for WMS Spring Sports!

Registration is now open!

Sports offered this spring are as follows:

• 6-8th grade - Track and Field
• 7-8th grade - Baseball and Softball
• 7-8th grade - Volleyball

Students wishing to participate in spring sports must be registered by 2pm Friday March 14, 2025. Information regarding tryouts will be forthcoming from respective coaches but will not start until Monday March 17th (or later).

The Wayland Community Action Network invites you to join us for an important evening of learning, reflection, and connection. We will host a special screening and discussion of ORIGIN, a film by Ava DuVernay.

Please RSVP at https://forms.gle/zZeyo9QNcrno6vtY9 to ensure we have enough pizza!

Let’s keep the conversations going! WPS will be hosting a community read of “Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives it Changed.”

Artists: Judah Kim

Grade: 8

Medium: Colored Pencil

The WMS PTO is setting up March Madness-inspired games, trivia and snacks for staff to keep them going between back-to-back parent-teacher conferences on 3/19 and 3/26.

Please sign-up here if you can contribute any food or prize items to help. Nonperishable items can be sent via our Amazon.com wish list or dropped off at the following locations by Tues 3/18:

• Grimmett House (38 Standish Rd)
• Baston House (8 Brackett Rd)
• WMS front office.

Please drop perishable items off at WMS by 12pm on the designated days (3/19 or 3/26).

Contact: Waylandmiddleschoolpto@gmail.com

Thank you to our WMS community for helping us reach our fundraising goal!

Below are the 2024-2025 school year grants that were awarded by the PTO.

Large magnetic grids are being used on the whiteboards in 8th grade math classrooms.

Flexible floor chairs are being enjoyed by a 6th grade social studies class.

Dry erase markers and erasers are being used by students in 8th grade math classrooms.

Social pragmatic learning materials for the Autism Spectrum Disorder Program.

Math Team support was provided to help defray the cost of the annual team dues required for away meets.

Rocket Club Supplies allows every student to have their own rocket to build and launch.

World Language Funding will allow students in the 7th grade Chinese class to attend a cultural enrichment field trip to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston.

Extra large laminated world map will now hang in the library.

Four New Keyboards that all students will have the opportunity to use in music class.

New learning materials and games are being added to the Language Based Learning Program.

New books for all English classrooms to keep content fresh and interesting for our students!

New diversity, inclusion and belonging books are being purchased and will be used as a learning tool for students.

Please see more examples of what we can support with your help.

We have many ways to get involved! Please fill out our survey below or send an email to: Waylandmiddleschoolpto@gmail.com

Other opportunities to volunteer

To see some of the descriptions, please see here.